The following are some wonderful ways to reduce anxiety, agitation and stress and promote relaxation, calm and peace within yourself. Some techhiques take practice, and most require some commmitment on your part to achieve results.

1) Progressive relaxation. Is a way of releasing tension in muscles. Often taught in yoga and exercise classes, on self-help tapes and by varius instructors, from massage therapists to psychologists.

• Lie on your back in a comfortable position.

• Take a series of deep slow breaths and focus your awareness on different parts of the body in turn, becoming aware of any muscular tension and releasing it. One way to do this is to first tense a muscle deliberately and then relax it.

You can incorporate progressive relaxation into your daily routine and find ways to make it more portable. For instance, you can modifify it for a sitting position and do it at your place of work.

2) Exercise. For many people, exercise is their main method of reducing stress and promoting relaxation . One of the benefits of regular aerobic exercise is its moderating effect on emotions. This is a long-term benefit, but aerobic and nonaerobic exercise can also work in acute situations as a symptomatic treatment.

3) Massage and body work. For a wonderful, relaxing experience, get a massage or other form of body work. There is a great deal of evidence that the state of the mind and nervous system is reflected in the state of the musculature. Body work is one route into the unconscious mind. Some kinds of massage are more relaxing than others. Like exercise, massage is more a symptomatic treatment than a lasting change .